Songs for Christmas, Jesse Colin Young (BeanBag/Artemis)

The former sparkplug of the Youngbloods, makers of hippy anthem "Get Together" back in the late 1960s, Young may be as well known today for the kona coffee grown on his farm in Hawaii. Nothing against his solo work, mind you. The holiday CD was originally put out in 2002 and has been reissued for 2004. No surprises, no original tunes, just a dozen mostly Christmas standards in his mellow pop-folk style. A little walking jazz on "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," a syncopated take on "White Christmas," but no revelatory arrangements. On the other hand, there's no attempt to hoke things up with jingle bells or anything other than a bit of violin or string quartet on a few songs. Too seriously intentioned for my taste, but coffee gourmets might want to order this directly from his site and get some of that fresh-ground java with it.

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